Zener diodes are known from publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,990,534, which have a PN junction arranged perpendicularly in a semiconductor substrate. A PN junction of this type has the disadvantage that it cannot be manufactured for integrated circuits using standard manufacturing methods because of varying depths of penetration required. Furthermore, known Zener diodes are not suitable as a PROM component, because their PN junctions have a relatively large surface and accordingly, a higher current would be necessary to burn through the PN junction.
Zener diodes are also known from publication U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,403, in which the PN junction is a lateral junction. The N-region is designed in the form of a point. Such a point makes it possible to concentrate currents flowing through the diode readily, for which reason a low current is required to burn through such a diode. However, such a known diode also has the disadvantage that it cannot be manufactured for integrated circuits using standard manufacturing methods because of varying depths of penetration required.
Zener diodes are used for PROM components. The Zener diode is burned through by an adequately high current or it is also shorted, which gives rise to a resistor instead of the Zener diode. The Zener diodes are loaded in the reverse direction during the burn-though.
Furthermore, known Zener diodes have the disadvantage that the overlap of the P-doped and N-doped region is relatively large, causing leakage currents of the Zener diodes to be high.